


A Long-Expected Prom - A Catradora fanfic

by CrazyMyrmidon



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:08:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25051423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrazyMyrmidon/pseuds/CrazyMyrmidon
Summary: It had been five years in the making but Scorpia was finally going to host a prom, and Adora, Catra, Glimmer, and Bow were all invited. But Catra and Adora's special night together threatens to collapse as Catra is acting curious.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Entrapta/Hordak (She-Ra), Perfuma/Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 131





	1. Chapter 1

It had been five years in the making but Scorpia was finally going to host a prom, and Adora, Catra, Glimmer, and Bow were all invited.

It had been a weird half-decade for the Best Friends Squad. While the foursome had promised one another that they would travel around the universe to re-introduce magic, practical considerations had almost immediately put a delay on matters. For while the war might have been won, the shattered infrastructure of the Horde needed to be destroyed and entire planets had to rebuild. Even on Etheria, where the releasing of magic had purified the lands, people needed a place to go and homes needed to be rebuilt.

So Adora’s long-needed vacation was delayed for years (which she would’ve stalled out for longer if it hadn’t been for Catra’s complaining for more than half of them). But eventually Adora relented, and the Best Friends Squad went on vacation.  
Throughout the universe the group travelled with each world they visited being more marvelous than the last. They revived lost aquatic cultures, moved peoples back to their native homes in poisonous trees, escaped perils on planets made of glass, and did as their hearts fancied for a year when they received the message from Etheria that Scorpia was hosting a special edition of Princess Prom. So, Darla 2.0 turned around and traveled back to Etheria.

Upon their return they were greeted with a flurry of activity. Friends and family needed catching up with, outfits needed to be picked, and the debate turned to whether going as She-Ra was a faux pas or not. The group’s excitement reached a fevered pitch until at last it was the night of the prom.

Examining her reflection in the straight sheet of water that functioned as her mirror, Adora couldn’t help but be impressed with the ensemble she was wearing. Half of it was Catra’s choice – Adora’s day-to-day fashion sense was infamously bad now that she no longer had to wear combat slacks. Adora didn’t mind, though. She wouldn’t have picked this white dress with golden trimmings on her own. It reminded her too much of She-Ra. But, with sufficient persuasion and compromise, she had her outfit.

The circlet adorning her head was all her idea, though; a memento from a distant world, a little reminder of all the travels that she had been on. The sage who had given it to her had even warned her only to wear it at special events when with her special someone. So, it had been gathering dust on Darla 2.0. Princess Prom was as good a time as any to bust it out, especially considering her plus one.

The last few checks were methodical. Hair was brushed exactly right. Poof had just enough poof to it. The gold trim wings shimmered every way that Adora turned. The train behind her… did not get in the way yet. If there was one thing Adora would get rid of, it would be that.

Just as Adora gave the dress a tug, the door burst open and Catra spilled through with Glimmer hot on her tail.

“Just let me brush it!” Glimmer yelled out, brush in hand as the two dashed into the room. A blur of unkempt hair tied in a ponytail and the familiarly playful gleam in Catra’s eyes slipped past Adora as a sparkling cape and pink dress outfit skidded to a halt in front of her.

“No! Don’t let her touch me, she’s going to torture me!” Catra growled at Glimmer from behind Adora’s back. The two circled around one another, keeping Adora as the barrier in the middle.

“Do you always have to be this dramatic?” Glimmer lashed back, with the sparkles in her hair flaring up as she prepared to teleport.

This seems too familiar.

“Come on, guys!” Bow leisurely made his entrance, strolling up to Glimmer who gave her husband a quick look-over before resting her head on his shoulder. “If we’re late to Scorpia’s first ball she’s going to kill us.”

The two cut an impressive figure together. Must be the weight of the daily duties being king and queen of Bright Moon, Adora thought to herself. Their styles were reminiscent of their early days as the Best Friends Squad: lilac with hints of gold for Glimmer, and white, red and blue with an exposed midriff for Bow. Their outfits matched thanks to the sparkling capes covering their shoulders and framing their outfits, and the identical earrings the two wore in opposing ears.

“That and if Scorpia doesn’t do it, I will,” Adora said, fists clenched tight. “I worked too hard on this outfit to have the two of you RUIN it with your shenanigans!”

Glimmer and Catra turned their gazes to the train behind Adora, and sheepishly averted their gazes.

“Fine! You’re off the hook.” Glimmer turned her gaze back to Catra, who was sticking her tongue out at her. “This time.”

Satisfied, Bow and Glimmer turned to make their way out of the room with Catra making a few steps to follow before turning to look at Adora.

“You coming?” Catra asked as she offered her gloved hand.

For the first time since Catra had burst into the room, Adora had a chance to look at her partner. Colour-wise, it remained pretty similar to her day-to-day outfit: a burgundy-red, short sleeved dress shirt with the top three buttons open, and a high-waisted pair of pants with thigh-high boots over the top. Adora knew this part of the outfit: it had taken Catra weeks to decide upon. The golden trimming on the boots was something that the two of them had even coordinated on. It was the white jacket, dramatically slung over Catra’s left shoulder, that was entirely new. The golden shoulders and sleeve cuffs matched that on Adora’s dress. Must’ve been the same tailor.

The thought that Catra continued to put the effort in was deeply striking, as Adora reached out to take her hand.

That isn’t how this went. As Adora’s hand touched Catra’s, a wave of panic washed over her. For a brief instant, Catra’s form disappeared, replaced with a silhouette that Adora hadn’t seen since their return from space: the silhouette of Horde Prime.

The flash of panic was brief, but it didn’t make it past Catra’s gaze, who grasped Adora’s other hand and pulled her in.

“What’s wrong? You OK?”

Adora hadn’t even realised she was holding her breath as Catra’s blue and yellow eyes pulled her back to the moment. With a sigh, she let go of Catra’s hands and started scratching Catra behind the ears.

“Everything’s OK, don’t worry. I just had a… flashback. Back to when we were in the Heart of Etheria.” Adora pulled Catra close, kissing her on the forehead. Her hair smelled sweet, like candy. “Have I ever mentioned that I wouldn’t have made it out without you?”

She had, Adora knew this. She just liked seeing Catra’s response, whose eyes darted from a moment of shock to a soft, blushing smile.

“You might have. Once or twice.”

Adora pulled Catra in for a quick kiss before touching Catra’s nose with her own, staring deeply into her eyes.

“I’m staying with you. Always.”

“I know.”

“And I have been looking forward to this night for years,” Adora broke the tender silence as she grabbed Catra’s hands. “A special night out with all of our friends, special outfits made for all of us, an important moment for Scorpia, a big dance with you…”

“Who knew you had such a feminine side?” Catra shot Adora a coy glance, pulling Adora into an embrace. Adora made to give a witty reply, but the first letters barely made it out of her mouth before a voice came from the doorway.

“Aww, you two are so cute together!”

It took a moment before the two realised that Bow had been watching from the door frame.

Catra pulled out of the embrace, pivoting to glare at Bow. “I am not cute!” she exclaimed.

With an audible “mm-hm”, Bow turned around again.

“If you two lovebirds don’t hurry up, Glimmer’s gonna leave without you!”

The two scrambled to follow Bow, knowing full well that Glimmer did not make empty threats. Either they teleported with her willingly, or she would teleport them over regardless of what state they found themselves in. Part way through the halls of Bright Moon, Catra entwined her arm with Adora’s.

“Did I mention that you look beautiful?” Catra spoke up as they walked through a long hallway with windows looking out over the Moonstone.

“I mean, this was mostly you. And—”

“—I love how you’re letting a bit of She-Ra come through,” Catra interrupted, squeezing Adora’s well-toned arm.

“Catra! What did we agree upon when it came to She-Ra’s arms? There’s a time and a place, and now is neither!” The slight heave of laughter of Bow’s hair and shoulders made the duo realise that they had not discussed their She-Ra rules with the rest of their friends.

“Besides, I’m nowhere near as beautiful as you; I mean have you seen yourself?” Adora continued, toning down her voice. “Even the hair suits it perfectly, and you can ignore what Glimmer says on the matter. You should have told me you wanted to coordinate! I would’ve insisted that there would be some more red in my outfit, I’m sorry. Oooh, I knew there was something off about it…”

“No! No, absolutely not. There is nothing wrong with your outfit.” Something about the way that Catra was bashfully forcing herself to speak piqued Adora’s curiosity. “In faaact, I have just the thing…”

As the two passed through a doorway, Catra’s free hand darted out of Adora’s vision to one of the jacket’s pockets. To another pocket. To yet another pocket. Back to the first pocket. As Catra continued to scramble to find whatever it was she was trying to give Adora, an increasing look of frustration and panic creeped into her eyes.

The loud clearing of Glimmer’s throat reminded the duo that they were supposed to be going somewhere. Apparently, they had made it to the throne room, where a procession of guards stood ready to witness Glimmer teleporting the Best Friend Squad to the Fright Zone, where Scorpia was hosting the prom. Glimmer and Bow held their hands out, beckoning Catra and Adora over.

Catra, however, clearly had other plans now that her first one had clearly fallen flat on its face. She slipped out of Adora’s grasp, yelled something along the lines of “I’msorryIjustrealisedIforgotsomethingbebackinfive”, and darted off back into the corridor on all fours.

“You’re planning something, aren’t you?” As Adora pondered her partner’s actions, the familiar, sparkly bamf of Glimmer teleporting behind her drew her attention back to Bow, whose hand was covering his face. Adora walked up to him as quickly as her dress allowed her to.

“This is going to be another touch and go, isn’t it?” Bow sighed, exasperated.

“Seems like it,” Adora shrugged, before turning her attention to Bow’s outfit. “But look at you though! You look so dapper!”

“Thank youuu!” Bow responded enthusiastically, striking a few poses to the applause of Adora and the nearby guards. “I’m glad that we agreed to match on the cape,” Bow continued as he gave a little twirl, leaving a trail of magical sparkles behind him. “I haven’t worn a cape in years! So, what did you do to match with Catra?”

Adora’s gaze fell. “I’m feeling kind of bad about it, to be honest. Catra has that adorable jacket slung over her shoulder, and I’m just sitting here looking like She-Ra without the sword or magical powers or anything useful…”

“That’s not true Adora, you look absolutely stunning. Besides, didn’t Catra have that—”

“—I have had it up to here with your shenanigans!” Suddenly, Glimmer bamfed in between Adora and Bow along with Catra, who was kept in a practiced headlock. It wasn’t needed at this point anymore; even after ten years of bamfing around, Catra still turned slightly green after a teleport. “I said we were leaving to go to the prom and leave we will! If you had anything you wanted to take with you, you should have done so before we ended up falling two minutes behind schedule! Adora, Bow, hold on now.”

Adora and Bow knew better than to resist Glimmer when she got like this. Adora quickly squeezed Catra’s hand, and the two shared a quick smile as Adora’s other hand made her way onto Glimmer’s shoulder. As Bright Moon’s throne room disappeared around them, she couldn’t help but wonder what Bow was about to say to her.

*****

No matter how many times Adora visited the Fright Zone, the transformation that it had undergone from the cold, industrial military staging grounds of her youth never ceased to amaze her. Her initial freeing of Etheria’s magic did an incredible number on the already-abandoned Fright Zone and it had only been changing further and further since Scorpia reclaimed her ancestral home. Together with Perfuma, the two had worked together to breed a dark ebony tree that channeled the more electric energies that were now flowing free throughout the planet. The Thundertree (as Scorpia had ended up naming it) towered over the surroundings, much like what was once Hordak’s tower had done before. Long, thick, and gnarled roots weaved through – and at times assimilated – the old metal plates that once belonged to the Horde’s base of operations. The result was a majestically faux-industrial landscape, ripples of blue energy shooting through black trees and arcing across rusting metal plates that outlined much of Adora’s familiar Fright Zone.

The beast-kingdom of Thundertree felt… Alive. Which was more than could have been said when Adora lived there.

The foursome had bamfed onto an elevated walkway, surrounded by repurposed and re-decorated Horde skiffs that were coming and going with princesses, guests, and goods from across the nearby galaxy. While Dryl functioned as the starport for Etheria, Thundertree functioned as a home for those who had fought for the Horde and now no longer felt like they had a place to belong.

Catra immediately began to retch like she was about to throw up a hairball. Like clockwork, Glimmer loosened the headlock and began to scratch her feline companion behind her ears, just below the ponytail. Before too long Catra was standing again, with a hint of a purr and a spring in her step as she grabbed Adora’s hand and pulled her down the long road that led to the grand hall.

It did not take long before Catra grew bored of walking and started complaining.

“Sparrrrkleeeees… Why didn’t you teleport us clooooserrrr…”

With a twinkle in her eyes and sparkledust in her hands, Glimmer grabbed Catra’s hand.

“If you want, I can teleport us again, but I know how much you studied and want to stick to-”  
“-to the time-honored traditions and the 251 individual parts that make up the ancient tradition of Princess Prom, I know. Fine. We’ll walk.” She straightened herself and, with a faux-grouchy expression on her face, the foursome took off once more.

It did not take long before Catra got distracted once again, this time by a rapidly moving jolt of red magical energy which she swiftly pounced on, slapping at it with her hands.

“Catra!” Both Adora and Glimmer protested, but it was too late; Catra leaped off the walkway, after the shiny red dot as it darted away.

“Please don’t ruin the outfit!” Adora yelled after her, with only a single cry of confirmation and the sound of trash cans being thrown over as answer. The remaining trio let out an exasperated sigh, before Bow stepped up and grabbed a gadget he had hidden away on what was apparently also his toolbelt.

“I’ll go get her,” Bow offered, and he leaped down after Catra.

It took Glimmer a moment to process what had just transpired.

“The nerve! And he had promised he wouldn’t be taking any gadgets with him as well,” Glimmer said as she glanced at Adora.

“Wait, he promised that?”

“He did! Not that I expected him to follow up on it after discovering that Entrapta and Hordak would be here.”

Hordak’s tale had been a curious one, following the defeat of Horde Prime. The Princesses of Power had witnessed Hordak’s betrayal of Horde Prime at the Battle for Etheria, but for most civilians he was a painful reminder of the time under clone occupation. While many clones initially looked up to him to fill the role of Horde Prime for them, Hordak’s blunt refusal to “pretend to be someone he never was or would be” meant that he was left with only the Princesses of Power vouching for his capabilities. However, together with his lab partner he had earned the respect and admiration of many Etherians through inventions that made lives easier, better, and safer. This event was his first public appearance as a full-fledged member of the Etherian Tinker’s Association, none the wiser that most people considered him and his lab partner “woefully inept at the whole feelings-for-each-other thing.”

Adora’s mind briefly wandered back to Glimmer’s last Princess Prom, where her jealousy of Bow attending with Perfuma had managed to get both captured.

“This is beginning to seem familiar,” Adora wondered out loud as the duo started walking again. “You sure you won’t be feeling jealous later tonight?”

Glimmer quickly shook her head. “We agreed beforehand that we would navigate the social circles separately up until event 61,” Glimmer started as she made vague circular motions with her hands. “Bow needs to speak with some of the historians as well as the members of the Etherian Tinker’s Association that are attending, and I’ve got a number of dad’s students in attendance that I want to check in on. Neither are really in the other’s ballpark, so we decided to get them out of the way at the beginning of the night so we could spend the rest of it meeting up with old Alliance and Rebellion friends together!”

With a smile on her face Glimmer stopped and turned back to look at Bow, who had managed to bring Catra back and was currently in what appeared to be a heated discussion with his feline friend. As Bow looked up, Adora noticed what appeared to be a brief look of concern on his face before his trademark smile broke out once again, his matched earring dangling as he waved to his partner.

Adora’s gaze quickly shot past Bow to Catra’s concerned expression. Oh, she tried to hide it to make sure that Adora wouldn’t worry, but Adora recognised the ‘something went wrong in my date plan and I don’t know how to recover from it’ look in her eyes. Years of Horde drills and plans of attack (many foiled eventually by She-Ra herself) had made Catra a schemer and, even though things had been better for the past 5 years, Catra still struggled to overcome the panic of a plan gone wrong.

Adora gave Catra a smooch on the cheek as she and Bow caught up. By the mercy of the First Ones, she was beautiful.

“Did you catch it?” Adora inquired as she offered Catra her arm.

“No!” Catra puffed up as she took it. “I chased it all the way to the tank hanger and it just disappears on me! Can you believe it?”

Adora couldn’t – as far as she knew, the tank hanger used to be on the other side of Thundertree. She decided not to pursue it further, as she leaned in to whisper in Catra’s ear.

“Hey, Catra. I don’t know what you had planned for tonight, but I would not have come here without you. So, don’t worry about it, okay? We’re going to make it a special night, just the two of us.”

Catra’s face darted through various expressions as it turned increasingly redder. As the two passed through security and into the threshold of Thundertree she straightened up after glancing through the crowd, a coy expression on her face once again as she leaned closer to Adora.

“You got yourself a deal, princess.” Catra gave a knowing smirk, which Adora returned. Following Bow and Glimmer through the crowd, they made their way to the reception area for the hostesses.

*****

They heard Scorpia before they saw her.

“Oh! My gosh, thank you so much for coming to my first ball. So glad you could make it. There’s punch and snacks in all kinds of sizes over at the buffet down the stairs and to the right, and the bathrooms are down the hallway to the left down the same stairs; can’t miss them, very clearly marked. Hope you have a great time tonight!”

They heard the same spiel several times, each more enthusiastic than the last. The four made small talk among themselves and the occasional acquaintance who waved at them as they made their way up the stairs.

Catra’s expression remained one of apparent apathy, as if meeting the hostess of a ball was the most normal thing in the world for her. Adora, however, saw the excited anticipation of seeing one of her oldest friends in her tail flicking back and forth. She gave Catra’s hand a good squeeze, one that Catra eagerly returned as they crossed the threshold of the highest stair.

As they topped the stairs, they were greeted by the flower-decorated thrones of Scorpia and Perfuma, long-time partners ever since the invasion of Horde Prime, upon which sat the queen and consort of Thundertree. While Perfuma, in a floral summer dress and sitting on a throne decorated in all manners of flowers was the very image of natural serenity, Scorpia in her refined, sleek black dress looked like she could barely keep her excitement in check.

The foursome had built an incredibly close relationship with Scorpia after they had defeated Horde Prime, and the main reason why they were on time was so they could support their friend in something that mattered a great deal to her. In unison, they paid their respects to the hostesses; Bow and Catra entering a deep bow, and Glimmer and Adora performing picture-perfect curtseys.

“As tradition dictates, we pay our respects to the hostess of Princess Pro—”

Their greeting was cut off as they found themselves being crushed in one of Scorpia’s great hugs.

“You made iiiit!” Scorpia kept them in her embrace for a good few seconds before letting them down, with Bow and Catra holding on for a little while longer. “And you’re early as well! Gotta admit, I was, uh, expecting you guys to come a little bit on the late side considering this sleeping beauty over here.” Adora and Glimmer got to see Scorpia’s tail pointing to Catra, who was only now letting go of her old friend.

“Look at how beautiful you all look! Bow and Glimmer, I love love love the matching capes and earrings, works great on you. Adora, Catra, you two are so cute together like this, it makes our matched outfits look simple in comparison!”

“Of course we were going to come early to your big day!” Adora opened up, with Bow picking up after her. “Yeah, we couldn’t wait to see what you two made of the place and it’s amazing!” A hint of the voice cracks typical of younger Bow slipped through here as he looked around the room as it pulsed and buzzed as if charged by lightning.

“If you think the room’s already great, then get ready for some of the great things we have planned out for the rest of the night! We’ve got snake tamers from the Crimson Waste! Lonnie, Kyle and Rogelio are manning the confetti cannons—” Adora and Catra’s ears perked up at the mentioning of their former Horde squad mates. “—and as highlight of the night I’m gonna be—”

“Ahem.”

Perfuma’s little cough was sharp enough to cut through Scorpia’s boisterous voice and cut her off before she could spoil any more. She had silently walked up as Scorpia was hugging the group.

“Dear, what did we agree about telling our friends about the plan?” She laid her hand on Scorpia’s claw before smiling at the group.

“Oh yeah, right. In that case, I won’t keep you long; the line’s only getting longer… oh, that’s a long line. Anyway, drinks and foods of various sizes can be found on the buffet down the stairs and to the right, and the bathroom’s—”

“—down the hallway on the other side of the buffet. Can’t miss it,” the foursome parroted back.

“Ah! So you were listening! Good. Definitely keep yourselves available after, uh, event 130 or something, we can hit the floor together.” As Scorpia turned around, the only thing that prevented the group from hearing her wonder if it was 130 or 150 was the soft music playing throughout the hall. Perfuma quickly grabbed everyone’s hands before addressing them.

“It’s great to see you all! We should get the old gang to stay the night and we can all catch up again. See you later!” Perfuma gave the group a big, contagious smile before she turned around to sit back on the throne, a smile the group carried down the stairs with them.

“All right, so just to double check,” Bow spoke up as they made it to the bottom of the stairs, pulling an itinerary from a hidden pocket. “We’re gonna go our separate ways for the coming, uh… 47 events, and then we’re going to meet up in front of the buffet? I got that right?”

Quick nods from both Adora and Catra confirmed that neither was really listening too particularly well. Adora had been eyeing the buffet for a good few minutes at this point, after noticing that Horchefan – the name that Wrong Hordak went by at this point – was manning it. His experiences as a part of the hive mind had helped propel him to rediscovering and reintroducing galactic culinary traditions that had been lost for centuries. If an event wanted to call itself worth going to, they hired Horchefan.

“All right!” Bow clapped his hands together before giving Glimmer a kiss on the forehead. Adora didn’t really pay much attention to Bow’s promise to Glimmer that he would meet up with her a bit before their agreed-upon meetup time, as she had much more serious things to think about. Step by step, she was formulating the best way to maneuvre herself through the crowd with both Catra and that annoying train behind her in tow, all while hitting all the food stops that had caught her eye.

“Okay! We’re dismissed, so go and eat your fill, Adora!” Glimmer chuckled as Adora wiped a little bit of drool that was leaking out with her wrist.

“Catra they have tuna…”

“What?! Where?” Those four words immediately drew Catra’s attention, as her eyes shot towards the buffet. She grabbed Adora by the hand and began pulling her in the direction of the buffet.

“Aren’t they adorable together?! All right, I’ll see you in, uh… 43 events. I’m gonna go find me some of my tinker friends!”

Something about the way that Bow had almost announced the last part piqued Adora’s curiosity, but the flash disappeared as fast as it had come up as she disappeared behind Catra in the crowd. She took the lead, pulling Catra through the crowd in what Adora could only describe as preparation for the ballroom dance that was coming later in the night. The duo weaved their way throughout the crowd, with Adora taking the lead during more confined and unclear moments and Catra taking the lead where there was more room for her to follow her nose.

It was during a particularly close fit of people that Adora bumped into a solid suit of metal on the dance floor. Normally Adora knocked people over when this happened – the physical prowess of She-Ra no longer gated by the Sword of Protection showed up in Adora from time to time, depending on her mood. This person, however, brushed it off — or rather, this robot, Adora realised as she let go of Catra as she made to apologise to the familiar form of Emily, accompanied by both Entrapta and Hordak.

“Oh, hi Adora! Hi Catra! Imagine running into you here.”

“Entrapta, of course they would be here. All Princesses receive invitations to Princess Prom.” Hordak tried to explain, probably for the umpteenth time, the concept of Princess Prom to Entrapta, but she had pulled both Adora and Catra in for a hug, completely ignoring him.

The three of them stood in an embrace for a few moments, with Catra holding Entrapta for just a moment longer as Adora broke loose to address the former tyrant of the Fright Zone.

“Princess Adora,” Hordak offered a short, curt bow.

“Hordak,” Adora replied, forgoing any titles that her former enemy would have gained by Entrapta’s good graces. She knew it would drive him crazy. The wounds of five years ago were minor scars at this point though, and Adora was comfortable poking fun at the clone, much like how Hordak was comfortable poking fun at her.

“It’s… good to see you,” Catra said as she broke free of Entrapta’s hair-hug. “Both of you.” She turned to Hordak and gave a bow, one that Hordak reciprocated.

“How’s the social experiment going?” Adora asked as politely and as discreetly as possible. She knew Entrapta and could guess why she was here with both Hordak and Emily at the same time, in the middle of a crowd of people in a ballroom.

“It’s so BORING!” Entrapta’s hair shot out in spikes as she raised her voice, grabbing the attention of most people around her. “You’d think that some people would be frightened by either Emily or Hordak, and so far, no-one’s even batted an EYE at them! I know that science dictates to not perform an experiment set up to support a particular hypothesis, but it’s just so disappointing to think that the conclusion will be ‘no-one cares about the events of years ago anymore the end’! Argh, I can’t stand it! Come Emily, I’m hungry and I always act irrationally when I am hungry. To the tiny food!”

As Entrapta’s hair shot out to grab both Emily and Hordak, the clone turned to Adora as he was dragged into the crowd.

“My apologies, Princess Adora, for this display from my lab partner. I hope we can, as your own partner once put it, touch base soon.”

And the threesome was gone. Adora shrugged, feeling her own pangs of hunger after Entrapta mentioned food, and reached out to grab a hold of Catra’s hand.

Only Catra was missing.

A concerned expression darted onto Adora’s face. Catra disappearing had not happened often in the past, and when it had happened it was often when things were not going well between the two of them. As she scanned the crowd, she quickly thought of all the things that might have caused Catra to get really upset at Adora.

The supposed lack of tuna and other meat sorts in meals at home? The meat topic had become a touchy one ever since Swift Wind had declared himself the guardian of all quadruped herbivores on Etheria, but the two did indulge in fish on a regular basis.

Was it the proposal of the name Finn for any future children? Probably not – it had been Catra’s idea.

The thing that she had wanted to give Adora before they arrived at Thundertree? If it were really important, Catra wouldn’t have even come to the ball. But then again, she knew how important it was for Scorpia…

Worried, Adora stormed to the buffet and filled up a plate with various sandwiches that were sure to get Catra in a good mood and cause Swift Wind a heart attack were he to ever find out what was in them.

*****

Catra never thought she would have been grateful for Hordak and Entrapta to have been reliably on time at events. Previous dinner parties had become slightly awkward when the invitation had stated a certain time and both Catra and Adora had counted on the guests arriving late in their preparations, only for Hordak and Entrapta to arrive at precisely the time specified on the invitation.

But Hordak and Entrapta knew what the Fright Zone had once been like the back of their hand and were master craftsmen besides. If anyone could help her out of her current predicament, it would be the two of them.

And so, Catra used Hordak’s insistence on social norms to be observed to sneak away from Adora to get a chance to present her situation to the two of them. Fingers crossed that they would help her out.

As expected, she found the two of them and their pet robot at the tiny food table. Entrapta was still fuming, and Hordak was making conversation with Horchefon.

Before she could open her mouth to speak, a lump sprung up in her throat. Sure, it had been five years ago at this point, but not a week went by that she didn’t think at least once of the hurt that she had inflicted on both Hordak and Entrapta. She had no excuses, she knew this. By all rights, they could easily say no.

But the thought of not being able to properly convey what she wanted to say to Adora hurt her more. Years of failing at this had defined their relationship. Had almost ruined it. Had almost prevented Catra from getting to experience the happiest five years of her life. She had to convey it, in one way or another.

And so, she spoke.

“Entrapta! Hordak!”

Emily and Hordak turned to look at her, with Entrapta turning after Emily tapped her on the shoulder and directed her attention to her.

Catra felt a single tear roll down her cheek. She had to ask.

“I need your help.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Hey, have you seen Catra?”

Glimmer yelped as Adora pulled her out of her passing conversation with a couple of Mystacor students. She looked irritated, like an ice cream cake she had ordered was showing up late on a hot summer day.

“Adora, you can’t just interrupt my conversation!”

“I’ve looked all over for her, and I’ve even asked Frosta, Sea Hawk, and Mermista if they’d maybe have seen her and they said they hadn’t and I had a run-in with Double Trouble and they were being all ‘ooh mystery mystery I know more than you do’ and urgh they get under my skin some times. Have you seen Catra?”

“No, I have not seen Catra. I’ve been waiting for my own date to show up at our agreed-upon time, for which he is three whole events too late.”

“What, Bow? I saw Entrapta grab a hold of him not too long ago. Where they went, I’m not sure.”

“Of course Entrapta’s involved! I swear, I trust him to not let tinkering get in the way of a good evening for both of us and he goes and blows that. Argh!” Glimmer turned around and slammed her fist into the pillar.

“Hey, maybe Entrapta needed Bow’s help for something important! You know he would never break a promise to you unless he has an incredibly good reason,” Adora said as she tried to calm her friend down. Glimmer’s lack of a response indicated that her words were getting through.

“How long have you been standing here?” Adora followed up.

“…since event 31,” Glimmer said after a short break.

“Oh no, really?” Adora laid her hand on her best friend’s shoulder. “That’s awful! He made you wait for 28–”

“Event 60 is currently commencing,” Lonnie’s familiar announcing voice was broadcast through some repurposed Horde technology.

“…29 events? And the first dance is up next as well…”

“I know! Why do you think I’m so upset about it?” Glimmer spun around again, her frustrated expression bordering on breaking out into tears. “And I was looking forward to it as well…”

“That’s awful,” Adora began as she placed her hands on her best friend’s shoulders. “It doesn’t matter why; he should’ve at least let you know! I might not be the best at dancing, but since Catra’s still missing I will gladly be your first dance partner if you’ll have me. Or, I know, we can go find Bow! For the honour of Graysku—”

“Nonono! No need for She-Ra,” Glimmer laughed as she tried to restrain Adora from the transformation. “The first dance will do fine. We can go find Bow and Catra afterwards.”

“The first dance is about to commence. Please make your way to the dance floor, where our hostesses have a surprise planned.” As if on cue, Lonnie’s voice echoed throughout the room once again. Glimmer’s face shot from her previous smile to sad back to a smile again as she locked her arm with Adora’s, and the two began to make their way to the dance floor.

Glimmer spoke up again as they arrived. “You’re lucky to have Catra, you know?”

Adora gave a little chuckle. “I know.”

“I don’t think you do though,” Glimmer said, shaking her head as the duo stood ready for the first steps of the dance event. As a soft, mournful jazz tune played throughout the hall, the two started dancing. “I know precisely one person who, throughout everything that happened over the past few years, always saw you as, well, Adora.”

The quizzical expression on Adora’s face indicated that she had not quite caught on to the point that Glimmer was trying to make.

“All right, I’ll put it this way. Remember that time that Catra ran away? Because She-Ra was helping everyone on Etheria? You know, the time that she was fighting everyone who dared badmouth your efforts, with you apologising for every minor mistake people pointed out to you?”

“Well, yeah. I don’t think I’ve ever been that scared in my life,” Adora replied as the two stepped and twirled around one another. “I was in a state, wasn’t I?”

“And did you ever stop to think about why she ran away in the first place?” Glimmer was about to continue her point, but at that moment Scorpia’s deep, melodic timbre marked the switching of partners. With a twirl, Adora spun around to her next partner. The moment her fingers ran across long, sharp nails and her hand fell into a gloved palm, she knew who she was dancing with.

“Where have you been?” Adora led Catra through an additional pirouette so that she could get a good look at her face; nervous anticipation, the stress when she was trying to fix a supposed mistake, and underneath it all a joy to be back with Adora.

Catra liked being at parties. She didn’t like partaking in them though.

“I’ve, uh… Been busy.” There were the nerves Adora noticed before.

“Oh really? So busy that you could leave me here alone on our special night? I was looking all over for you!”

“Yes. It’s, uh...” A momentary pause as she contemplated which part of what she wanted to say was to be left out. “…Important. All right?”

“So important that you’d miss out on the tuna filet, huh?”

“They have tuna?!” Catra’s eyes shot wide, her ears perked up, and her gaze moved towards the buffet. Adora felt a little bit of blood rush to her cheeks as she couldn’t help but let out a little giggle; Catra being cute like this always sparked joy. As Catra noticed the giggle, her cheeks started glowing as well.

“Yeah, I told you before! We can go get some when the dance is over, okay?” Adora spun through the next few paces as she transferred back over to Glimmer.

“You got yourself a deal, princess!” Catra laughed back at her. “I’ll come find you!”

“You always do!” A warm feeling blossomed from Adora’s chest and spread itself to a smile as she turned back to her first dance partner.

Glimmer chuckled. “Did you have a chance to think about my question earlier?”

“Nope,” Adora responded without a moment’s hesitation, smile still on her face. “All I know is that she makes my world, a—”

“Is that BOW?!” Glimmer’s yell drew the attention of the people around them as she spun Adora around, holding her shoulder as she pointed at a figure dashing on the balcony overlooking the ballroom. “It is! …And over there? Entrapta?”

Adora felt the grip on her shoulder tighten, and the grit work its way back into Glimmer’s voice as she spoke through clenched teeth. “He’d rather… spend this evening gadgeteering with Entrapta than spend it with me?”

“Hey, I’m sure he has a perfectly—”

Bamf

“—good reason for it!” Adora had expected the teleport but had figured it would’ve been closer than it ended up being.

“And where do you think you’ve been all night, mister?!”

“Sorry Glimmer, we’re almost done here!”

“Don’t you ignore me!”

“Is it finished?”

“Done! Ha haaa!” Entrapta’s enthralled laugh gave everyone present a chance to figure out the situation. The group found themselves tucked away in an alcove of the room, poring over a miniature tinkering table on which stood a simple, unassuming box. The other side of the alcove had a flight of stairs leading down to the main ball room, on which stood a nervous Catra, looking right at Adora.

“Oh, hey there Catra!” Entrapta perked up at the apparent windfall, having completely ignored Glimmer and Adora’s arrival. “We just finished your r—” The cry was lost as Bow shot his hands over her mouth to keep her quiet. As Bow and Entrapta exchanged glances, Entrapta’s hair grabbed the box and threw it to Catra, who slightly fumbled the catch and dashed back down the stairs.

“Good luck!” Bow yelled after her while keeping Entrapta’s mouth covered.

“Oooh… Kay? Can either of you explain to me what just happened?” Adora turned to Bow and Glimmer, who were having a conversation with just facial expressions. Glimmer’s expression went from frustration, to curiosity, to surprise and excitement over the course of a few seconds.

“G- g- g- go after her!” Glimmer blindly started reaching for Adora’s arm as she pointed down the stairs, barely able to keep her excitement in check. “Quickly!”

“Ah! Uh, okay!” Adora took off after her partner, as fast as the dress could allow her.

*****

Following Catra through the crowd was easy – follow the unkempt ponytail and white-with-gold jacket. Adora could have sworn she had seen Scorpia give Catra a thumbs up (at least, as close as Scorpia could get to a thumbs up), but she paid it little mind as she dashed after Catra into the maze-like hallways that once made up the Fright Zone.

It was here that she lost track of Catra.

It’s to be expected, Adora thought to herself as she sprinted down one of the many vaguely familiar hallways. Catra comes here to visit Scorpia from time to time, and I haven’t been back here since, well, the war with the Horde. The sudden sound of Catra’s laugh tickled over her spine and drew her attention to a hallway behind her, down which she saw a familiar silhouette dart away around a corner. 

“Catra—” Adora began to call out, but as she did so her feet caught on the train.

Instinct kicked in as Adora began to tumble to the floor; years of Horde training, play-fighting with Catra, and battle as She-Ra flooded back as Adora tumbled and rolled out of the fall.

“Hey, Catra! Enough of this, c’mon!” Gritting her teeth, Adora stood back up and checked whether the dress hadn’t been ruined. “Let’s cut this out and go back to the ball! We’ll dance, eat tuna and, y’know, have a good time together!”

The silence was the only reply she got. For the slightest of seconds, Adora considered transforming into She-Ra again. The magical energy began materializing the new Sword of Protection, but Adora caught herself and forced it to disappear.

“No, no She-Ra,” Adora ultimately decided. “It was going to be our night.” 

As she confirmed that the dress was OK, her eyes fell once again on the train that she had just tripped over.

“Why did I think this train was a good idea…” Adora muttered under her breath. With as much delicacy as she could muster in her frustration, she removed the clasps that kept the train in its place and began folding it up.

With Catra apparently still not having realised that Adora had almost literally fallen behind, Adora found that she now had the time to realise where she was. As she looked around the hallway she found herself in, her eyes were drawn to a familiar long row of bunkbeds in one of the siderooms.

The cadet’s bunk room.

Adora wasn’t sure whether this was the bunk room that she had grown up in, but she found herself strolling between them. Quickly Adora’s mind wandered back to all the time that she had spent with the Horde as a child and all the years spent keeping the peace in the old squad of Catra, Lonnie, Kyle, and Rogelio under Shadow Weaver’s eye. She remembered the big fight between Catra and Lonnie when Lonnie was first adopted into the group; the two had never reconciled. The time she had talked Kyle into going to a training exercise he absolutely refused to go to, speaking of all the people that were counting on him, and that the team was stronger together. The dents in the bedpost Adora was running her fingers over by Rogelio as he lashed out during his puberty; Adora had tried her best, but in retrospect it had been Kyle who had listened patiently to Rogelio’s problems.

And of course, at the very end, was Adora and Catra’s bunk.

The mattress looked fresh (despite the layer of dust that lay on top of it), but the claw marks that covered the walls and the bed posts betrayed that this had, indeed, been their bunk. Catra must have been really upset to leave scratches like that. Wondering if the carving of the two of them was still on the roof of the bottom bunk, Adora leaned down to have a look at it. Sure enough, there it was – along with three clear swipes at it, crossing it out.

Ah, Adora thought to herself. This happened on that day. Back then, an entire lifetime together had ended abruptly. This bed held all the memories, all the pain.

A little magic wouldn’t hurt anybody, Adora figured. Channeling a bit of She-Ra’s power, she blew the mattress clean, and threw herself onto the bed. And lying there, Adora stared at the claw marks and remembered.

*****

Before long, Catra’s long feline ears poked around the corner.

“Adora? What’re you doing here?”

“Decided to come find me after all, huh?” A playful smile curled on Adora’s lips.

“Well yeah! Usually you ignore everything and run after me. I was wondering what was keeping you.”

“I was thinking,” Adora replied.

“Oh no, that’s not a good sign is it?” Catra chuckled as she crawled into the bunk along with Adora. “Normally, you either overthink things or just improvise…” Her voice trailed off as she noticed what Adora was looking at.

“It’s been years since I was last here, so I’ve just been… thinking back. To everything we’ve been through together.” As Adora said this, she raised her hand and began to write the Failsafe on the dusty ceiling.

“We sure came a long way from this bed, haven’t we?” Catra chuckled as she curled up to look at Adora.

Some time passed — a minute, maybe a few — before Adora spoke up again.

“Hey, Catra? Why did you stick with being a Force Captain?”

It took Catra a few seconds to put together her answer. “For as long as I can remember, we were—”

“—We?”

“OK, fine. You were working to be a Force Captain. I honestly never cared about the role. If I was with you, nothing else mattered. And then you found the Sword of Protection… Found the sword and abandoned me. I thought.”

“Aww, Catra…” Adora turned to her side, looking her partner in the eye. “You’re such an idiot.”

Catra gave a little chuckle, but Adora could see the tears welling up in her eyes. “I felt so alone, so… abandoned. And so, I did what I could to…” The tears that managed to creep through were rolling down her cheek at this point. Amidst the tears, Catra reached her hand out and caressed Adora’s cheek, a hand that Adora pressed her own against.

“…To get you to look at me. And I almost ruined everything to do so.”

At this point Adora was crying along with her.

“Oh, you sweet, stubborn idiot.” She gently wiped a tear away before pulling Catra in for a kiss. “I always was, always am, and always will be looking at you. I love you. I always have.”

Catra looked into Adora’s eyes with a soft, warm smile squeezing the corners of her eyes.

“I love you too.”

Adora leaned in to give Catra another kiss. As the two separated, Catra pulled herself upright, standing up from the bunk bed.

“C’mon. I’ve got something I’ve been wanting to show you.”

*****

The two walked in a comfortable silence through the old metal halls of the Fright Zone, Catra leading the way and Adora following. Wherever Catra was taking Adora, it was in a very roundabout way; if Adora recalled the Fright Zone correctly, they had just narrowly passed the ongoing festivities a few times. Eventually, her curiosity got the better of her, as she snuck up and jumped on Catra.

Surprisingly, Catra stayed standing even as Adora (who was taller) did her best to latch on to her.

“What, do you want me to carry you there like the dainty little princess you are?” A smile had crept onto Catra’s face as she stood still.

“You’ll have to- If you don’t- tell me- where- you’re- taking me!” Adora managed to grunt her sentence out as she tried to hold on to Catra as well as her dress would let her.

Catra laughed as she tried to stay standing as well as she could. “Ad— Hey, that tickles! — Adora, just trust me on this. We’re almost there but if we don’t hurry, we’ll be too late!”

“Okay, fine,” Adora conceded as she put herself back on her own two feet. “But this better be as amazing as you’re making it out to be, or you’re never gonna hear the end of it.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Catra replied as she walked on.

Before too long, the duo left the metal interiors behind and stepped out onto wooden platforms on one of the massive, gnarling roots of the Thundertree itself. Catra beckoned Adora over and pointed to a lone metallic spire just a bit up the root. Adora recognised it immediately.

“Hey, isn’t that our old spot?”

“Sure is!” Catra replied with the same nervous enthusiasm back in her voice.

“Wow, I haven’t been there since all that collapsing-the-space-time-continuum stuff! Hoo, that brings me back.”

“I, uh, hadn’t thought of it that way,” Catra’s ears drooped considerably, but Adora had already taken a few steps up the root in the tower’s direction and seemingly didn’t notice.

“We should go have a look, see how it is post-Fright Zone!” Adora looked over her shoulder at Catra, who let out an audible sigh. Her ears had perked up considerably again.

“Bet you I’ll get there first,” Catra shot a sly grin at Adora as she dashed past her.

“Hey, that’s no fair! I’m wearing a dress…” Adora pulled the fabric of the dress up a little bit and, steeling her gaze, began tying it up for ease of movement. “Not like that’s ever stopped me before. Catra, wait up!”

*****

It didn’t take long for Adora to lose track of Catra again, but Adora didn’t really mind at this point. The entire excursion into the old Fright Zone had her revisiting a bunch of old memories of a life that once was. The places she’s seen, the things that she had gained along the way, the things she’d had all along. The thought suddenly struck Adora that she was returning to the very beginning; the same spot…

…and of course, along with Catra.

“Hey, Adora,” Catra said as she poked her head over the ledge. “Need a hand?”

“No, I’m fine! Definitely fine,” Adora retorted as she tried to find another foothold to pull herself up. Catra rested her head on her hand and watched for a short while as Adora failed to find a way to climb up.

“Have I mentioned that you’re super adorable when you’re struggling like this?” Catra leaned a bit further closer, as if to get a better look.

“Oh please, you’re just enjoying watching these guns in action,” Adora retorted, using her head to beckon to her outstretched arm. “Now help me up, will you?”

Catra let out a playful mrow. “Oh no officer, you caught me! Guilty as charged.” She reached down, grabbed Adora’s arm, and pulled her up to the spot proper.

The view, if possible, was even more stunning than Adora remembered it to be. The unfettered magical essence that was released from the Heart of Etheria had sculpted a serene, colourful landscape; one that was only enhanced by the deep crimsons and purples in the sky from the setting sun. The spot itself had also been decorated: white and red flowers spread a pleasant scent from what had previously been safety railings, linked together by the same ebony roots that surrounded the artificial peak. The far ledge, where they would sit as children and teenagers, remained the same, save for an unevenly stitched blanket – probably Scorpia’s handiwork.

“Awww Catraaaa!” Adora wrapped her arms around Catra’s shoulders and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “It’s so pretty! I love it!”

“Thank you,” Catra said, a smile on her face. She led Adora to the blanket, where a small basket of specially made treats was waiting for them. “Sorry that I was gone for most of the evening so far. I, uh, was busy getting everything set up.”

“You did a great job at it,” Adora replied as she peered into the basket. Picking out treats that she felt Catra would appreciate, she offered her a small selection of delicacies of various sizes. For a while, the two sat like they once used to – nibbling on treats, legs dangling over the side, heads resting on shoulders.

After a couple of minutes, Catra broke the silence.

“This feels like how it used to.”

“How so?” Adora replied.

“I came back here a lot as a Force Captain. Still come back from time to time when I visit Scorpia. It’s nice to be here when I am, but it simply never feels the same without you here.” Catra let out an audible sigh. “It never feels the same without you around.”

Catra turned to Adora, looking her right in the eye. She looked as if she had something to say, but every time she opened her mouth to speak, the words failed to come out. Eventually, she managed to speak.

“I, uh… I couldn’t- I can’t imagine a day of my life passing without you anymore, and my darkest days were the days I thought I wouldn’t…” Catra petered out, unable to finish her sentence. Adora moved her hand up to comfort Catra, gazing deep into her eyes. “I know that people need you, and I know that there are going to be days that I don’t get to spend with you. You can’t say no to someone in trouble, it’s just… who you are. So, I just want to remind you that… That I love you. With all my heart. Wherever we are.”

Adora was so lost in Catra’s eyes that she didn’t notice the small box that she had placed in her lap – it took Catra beckoning to it with a slight nod for her to realise it was there. As she picked up the box and opened it, Catra spoke up again.

“Will you marry me?”

Inside the box sat a ring, a well-constructed band of old Horde tech with First Ones language running across the flat edges. Adorning the top was a well-cut red magical crystal, the First Ones rune of the Failsafe engraved in the middle of it. Heart. Love.

It looked beautiful. Only Adora had no clue what it was supposed to do.

“Catra, it’s beautiful… But, uh… What’s it for?”

A moment of stunned silence followed as Catra’s expression went blank – clearly, whatever the plan was, it did not account for Adora having no clue what she was supposed to be responding to. Adora felt incredibly guilty – if this was what Catra had spent all evening preparing for, she was probably counting on a response that was not ‘sorry but what’s this?’

Fortunately, Catra started laughing as a smile crawled back on her face. “You really don’t read, do you?” she managed to say amidst chuckles.

“I’m sorry, okay? I’ve been really busy and--”

“Shh, it’s okay,” Catra interrupted as she put her finger on Adora’s mouth. The slight scent of oil and rust tickled her nose along with Catra’s long nail.

Catra continued when Adora went completely silent.

“Marriage is a promise to the one you love. A promise to spend every day together, and if you can’t that you will think about one another. A promise to share in everything; the good, the bad, the ugly. A promise that, no matter how many days, months, years have passed, that you will continue to love each other.”

Catra averted her gaze for the briefest of moments, before looking back to Adora.

“Even when you had left, when I felt like I was alone, you were the light that kept me going. I’m all yours. I always have been.”

Adora suddenly realized that tears were rolling down her cheeks.

“Wow, that’s really poetic of you,” Adora said as she began wiping the tears away. “Are you sure you’re OK?”

“Hey, I’ve been reading a lot, OK? Mermista gave me copies of those books she’s always going on about and they’ve been hard to put down.”

A brief, silent moment followed, which was broken by the duo laughing. Adora leaned forward, touching Catra’s forehead with her own.

“Of course. I’m yours. You’re mine. I’m yours.”

Catra’s gentle smile widened as she grabbed the sides of Adora’s head. Adora found herself drawn into the smiling eyes of blue and yellow, the little freckles that dotted Catra’s face. She too leaned in, running her fingers over the back of Catra’s ear. Staring into one another’s eyes, Catra gradually pulled Adora in for a kiss.

As the two kissed, all that Adora could think about was that this was going to be the first of many special nights together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m new to the SPOP fandom.
> 
> I only sat down and started watching the show after Season Five was released, intrigued by all the positive things that I was hearing about the show overall. Community reactions to a certain confession trickled their way onto my feeds as well, so I caved and started watching a punchy doofus and an emotionally confused cat-person ride a skiff into a forest they were never supposed to go to. Soon, I found myself lost in the world of Etheria, watching the incredible story unfold and meeting a cast of characters made iconic by their diversity and the deeply humane stories that they told. Hell, I even ended up watching She-Ra at work; the fact that I had nothing to do because of the Coronavirus was a convenient excuse.
> 
> I was consumed by the show, to say the least. Not just the characters and the incredible richness found in the cast (I personally really related to Scorpia), but also the incredibly well-done writing and dramatic beats. Even knowing what was coming (thanks spoilers on my social feeds) I relished in the foreshadowing and gasped at the moments that genuinely caught me off-guard – the journey was every bit as beautiful and impressive and emotional as the destination ended up being.
> 
> Hell, it even got me seriously tackling writing further than just my worldbuilding and prep work for D&D.
> 
> The ending was genuinely beautiful, tear-inducing, and perfect. Seriously, children crying over a parent’s sacrifice despite the terrible treatment that the parent had subjected them to? Catra overcoming her pride and self-destructive behavior time and time again, and being rewarded for it every time? Adora finally piecing her confused, closeted ass together because her repressed uncertainty about her own feelings was addressed and confirmed?
> 
> An ending in a show like this demonstrating that your ending does not need for the demon to be vanquished to gain the emotional payoff that we watch stories for? An incredible, successful demonstration of a “feminine” ending, where the real victory was not found in conquering your foe? I devoured that shit up and took it with me as a storyteller.
> 
> All I was really missing was an epilogue. A glimpse at how the happily ever after looked. With the open-ended nature of the ending, I lived voraciously through fanart, behind-the-scenes stuff (seriously, the cut ‘wow’ beats? Give me the showrunner’s cut where that’s kept in there) but felt like I could contribute something of my own. The She-Ra movie, if/when it comes out, will hopefully give us a last look at the futures of Catra, Adora, Glimmer, Bow, and all the other princesses of power, but until that point, A Long Expected Prom is my little contribution to this fandom.
> 
> I’m no artist, but I know how to write fanfic. 
> 
> Is this perfect? No. Do I feel like this fanfic could have been better? Always. Is it true to the nature of the show? Well, that’s for the reader to decide, although I tried my best.
> 
> But the show means a lot to me and continues to bring me joy. If I can pass that joy on to someone out there, somewhere, I will be content.


End file.
